an."

The Captain laughed, drew his finger across his throat, and nodded.

"Yes," he said. "I've heard that in your country life is held cheap. I
fancy I'd rather be on my bridge than a resident in the Naya's capital.
But I see I'm wanted. Good-bye," and he hurried away to shout some order
to the men who were busy stowing the last portion of the cargo.

As we leaned over the rail watching the bustle on board the steam tender
that lay bobbing up and down at our side, we contemplated the
consternation of old Trigger when he found us missing. No doubt a hue and
cry would be at once raised, but as several persons we knew had seen us
walking towards the Belle Tout, it would, without a doubt, be surmised
that we had been drowned while bathing. The only thing we regretted was
that we had not left some portion of our clothing on the beach to give
verisimilitude to the suggestion. However, we troubled ourselves not one
whit about the past. I was glad to escape from the doom of the gas-lit
cellar, and was looking forward with keen anticipation to a new life in
that mystic country, Africa.

At last there was shouting from the bridge, the tender cast off, the bell
in the engine-room gave four strokes, the signal for full-speed ahead,
and ere long we were steaming past that clanging beacon the Bell Buoy,
and heading for the open sea. The breeze began to whistle around us, the
keen-eyed old pilot tightened his scarf around his throat, and carefully
we sped along past the Skerries until we slowed off Holyhead, where he
shook hands with the captain, and with a hearty "good-bye" swung himself
over the bulwarks into the heavy old boat that had come alongside. Thus
was severed the last link that bound us to England.

Standing up in his boat he waved us a farewell, while our captain, his
hands behind him, took charge of the ship and shouted an order.

Ting-ting-ting-ting sounded the bell below, and a moment later we were
moving away into the fast falling night. For a long time we remained on
deck with Kouaga, watching the distant shore of Wales fade into the banks
of mist, while now and then a brilliant light would flash its warning to
us and then die out again as suddenly as it had appeared. We had plenty
of passengers on board, mostly merchants and their families going out to
the "Coast," one or two Government officials, engineers and prospectors,
and during the first night all seemed bustle and confusion. Stewards were
ordered here